Water heating tanks and tankless water heating systems receive input water at a very high pressure and heat it before delivering the water at a rate of several gallons per minute to an opened hot water faucet or an appliance such as a dishwasher or washing machine. If a leak develops in the heating system, its storage tank, one of its input or output valves, or a pipe downstream from the heater, water can rapidly be lost, flood a basement or other portion of a residence, and cause substantial damage.
Human users with diminished sensory capacity, such as blindness or deafness, may have particular difficulty determining that flooding is occurring and promptly responding to it. Alarms may remain unheard by the deaf, or valves to shut off water may be difficult to locate by the blind, leading to a longer period of time between the beginning of flooding and the shut-off of the flow of water.